GDF Technical Consultant (Procurement & Supply Chain Management- PSM) Roster Recruitment/Retainer Contract, Multiple positions, Multiple positions

UNOPS hosts the Stop Tuberculosis Partnership Secretariat (STBP) as of 1 January 2015, in Geneva, Switzerland. The vision of the Stop TB partnership is to realize the goal of eliminating Tuberculosis (TB) as a public health problem and, ultimately, to obtain a world free of TB by ensuring that every TB patient has access to effective diagnosis, treatment and cure; stopping transmission of TB; reducing the inequitable social and economic toll of TB; and developing and implementing new preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic tools and strategies. The Stop Partnership is uniquely positioned to support the development and further implementation by partners of the current and future Global Plan, acting as a coordinator and catalyst for the range of partners engaged in the fight against TB.

As a key initiative of the Stop TB Partnership, the goal of the Global Drug Facility (GDF) is to facilitate worldwide, equitable access to TB medicines and diagnostics across both public and private sectors. This goal is achieved through management and coordination of market activities for the full portfolio of TB medicines and diagnostics, strategic procurement and innovative logistics solutions, technical assistance and capacity building for TB programmes in better pharmaceutical management practices, and accelerated uptake of new TB medicines, regimens, and diagnostics.

With funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), STBP GDF established a roster of Senior PSM Consultants and PSM Technical Consultants to support the countries in different aspects of the TB commodities PSM. This roster is complementary to the GDF’s Demand, Technical Assistance, and Capacity Building (DTC) Team, which through its Regional Technical Advisers provides ongoing and comprehensive technical assistance to GDF priority countries.

The GDF Technical consultants report to Demand, Technical Assistance, and Capacity Building (DTC) Team Leader, and serve GDF as technical leaders in procurement and supply management (PSM).

The senior GDF Technical Consultants will be engaged as needed upon the requests from the countries and/or defined by GDF Regional Technical Advisers. The consultants will be deployed to countries and/or will telework as required and will effectively carry out specific short and long-term assignments under the leadership of GDF Regional Technical Advisers. The GDF Technical Consultant will represent StopTB GDF and provide technical leadership and assistance to the countries and partners in different aspects of TB commodities’ procurement and supply management (PSM). The scope of consultancy may, illustratively, include.

• Under the leadership of the StopTB GDF Regional Technical Adviser participating in the StopTB GDF technical assistance (TA) missions, including the joint TB Program reviews to countries requiring PSM system evaluation and TA, following specific TOR. This includes but is not limited to the identification of immediate PSM gaps and supply bottlenecks and in addressing these gaps and developing sound PSM recommendations to TB programs and partners; review and validation of TB pharmaceuticals strategic forecasting and quantification; briefing the National TB programs (NTP) and the Ministries of Health (MoH) on the GDF policies, processes, products, and procurement options; addressing issues and bottlenecks related to the in-country registration of Quality Assured TB commodities including GDF products; promotion of StopTB GDF recommended PSM tools such as QuanTB and helping the national counterparts and partner organizations in the introduction and implementation of these tools; promotion and advising the countries to establish optimized scheduled procurement/ordering from pooled procurement mechanisms including the GDF and/or other sources; follow-up on the recommendations made by previous missions.

• Under the leadership of the StopTB GDF Regional Technical Adviser providing expertise in the assessment of the existing regulatory framework in countries. Provision of recommendations (where it is possible) addressing complex issues such as changing legislation to allow for the public sector improving procurement processes and access to ensure that countries can purchase quality-assured TB medicines and diagnostics at efficient prices.

• Under the leadership of the StopTB GDF Regional Technical Adviser, promoting, introducing, and implementing the StopTB GDF recommended forecasting, quantification, supply planning, and early warning tool, QuanTB, through hands-on coaching and mentoring of key staff in the countries; country and regional workshops for end-users and training of trainers; direct technical assistance in the development, implementation, and follow-up of country plans for establishing Early Warning System (EWS).

• Under the leadership of the StopTB GDF Regional Technical Adviser,  assisting National TB Program counterparts in the development and critical review of their supply transition plans, including phase-in phase-out plans, for the accelerated implementation of the new WHO policy guidelines on drug-sensitive (DS-TB), drug-resistant (DR-TB), and TB preventive treatment for children, adolescents and adults, and uptake and scale-up of new TB tools, such as new TB medicines, treatment regimens, and diagnostics.

• Under the leadership of the StopTB GDF Regional Technical Adviser,  assisting TB programs in the development of the costed procurement and supply plans for the Global Fund (GF)  funding proposals and/or grant agreements, focusing on the PSM  transition plans for switching to the procurement of quality-assured medicines and diagnostics with domestic funds.

• Under the leadership of the StopTB GDF Regional Technical Adviser,  facilitating  technical meetings (training and PSM workshops) conducted by GDF or other partner organizations – to strengthen the capacity of the national PSM staff and in-country partners on how to correctly use the QuanTB tool as a quantification and early warning system for TB medicines as well as on StopTB GDF procurement procedures aiming to prevent stock-outs and expiries in the country.

• Under the leadership of the StopTB GDF Regional Technical Adviser, or any other GDF staff or teams, development and review of different PSM documents, such as technical information notes and standard operating procedures related to the broad spectrum of the PSM areas.

• Other technical/PSM assistance as required by GDF staff and teams.

• Excellent knowledge of English with proven ability to communicate in English (spoken and written) in a clear and concise manner.

• Fluency in written and spoken French, Portuguese, Spanish, Russian or Arabic is a strong asset.

1. Contract type: Individual Contractor Agreement (ICA), Retainer position 
2. Contract level:  IICA2/ICS-10
3. Contract duration: 1 year - renewable depending on budget and satisfactory performance
   (estimated maximum no. of working days is 180) 

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.

• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.

• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.

• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures,  languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. 

• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.

• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process.  If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

Terms and Conditions 

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post. 

• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few Mandatory Courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. For more information on a retainer contract here.

• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.

• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.

• As per UNOPS policy, positions in duty stations where the NPO (National Professional Officer) category has been established by the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), a home-based contract may be issued as a LICA Specialist position.